Most South Koreans are apparently against sending weapons. The current president and his administration, who is pro-American/Western alliances was recently rendered a lame duck and his party is likely to lose the next election.

When that happens and the opposition party assumes power, it’s back to becoming adversaries with Japan and probably reducing, if not refraining, from sending further aid to Ukraine (assuming the war is still ongoing). As well as appeasing North Korea and China. How Russia plays into that appeasement will be interesting.

Yes and Russia promising to arm North Korea and support them in any battle may change that calculus very quickly.

It’s really very complicated. There is a sizeable contingent of South Koreans that see North Korea as harmless, misguided brothers and sisters united by common blood. It’s unimaginable to them that their northern brethren would actually act out on their verbal rhetoric and threats.

Many of these same people view modern Japan as a real mortal enemy just waiting to strike. Many of those fancy weapons South Korea develops? They’re just as intended to be pointed at a hypothetical hostile Japan as they are to North Korea.

These people are mostly represented by the current opposition party, who already control the legislative branch, and will likely take the presidency.